


Singularity: Convergence

by Enina



Series: Singularity [4]
Category: The Flash (Comics), The Flash - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Barry has a lot to deal with, Body Horror, Drama, F/M, Fixation, Friendship, Humor, Len and the other Rogues try to help, M/M, Magic, More tags will be added in future, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Romance, Stalker, dealing with severe trauma, interdimensional crisis, not always in the best ways, not always with the best results, sequel to Singularity: Convergence, so does the justice league, the Saloon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-11
Updated: 2019-09-14
Packaged: 2019-10-08 11:43:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17385848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enina/pseuds/Enina
Summary: Barry's life has changed drastically once more, and he isn't sure whether it is for the best.Sequel to "Singularity: Divergence".





	1. Teaser

**Author's Note:**

> So, as promised the little teaser chapter. As usual, it was edited by Quintessenzza, who did - also as usual - a great job!
> 
> To anybody who stumbled over this without having read "Singularity: Diverence" before, this is a sequel, or a teaser to a sequel. You will probably be pretty lost if you read this story without reading Divergence before. I really recommend doing so, it's a very long read, but you'll have enough time to catch up. This sequel will start to be regularly updated in January of 2020, so there is no real hurry just yet. ;)

* * *

“Initially, I thought that another telepath tried to alter Barry's memories of that night. The manipulation seems more versatile than it should be possible in such a case," J'onn explains. "It was able to react and adapt to my presence when I tried to bypass it." He lowers his gaze to the top of the table as he considers his next words. "Whatever we're dealing with doesn’t seem to be limited to that night alone either. Memories about his family and other things that happened up to a year prior in his life seem to have been affected as well.”

“It's unusual,” Zatanna agrees as she puts the glass of water down, she took a sip from a moment earlier. Her frown darkens as she continues. "It seems as if this spell was created to make sure that nobody would be able to find out the truth of what happened. Neither with the help of magic, telepathy nor technology."

"Someone put some real effort into this." Constantine grunts around the pen he is currently chewing on.

“Well,” Michael interrupts, arms crossed as he addresses Zatanna and J'onn with audible reproach, "You two didn’t have any problem picking up on it _now_.”

Zatanna shoots him an irked look. "The magic that was put on him shows clear signs of fading," she explains. "Which makes it easier to recognize these days. That wasn't the case a decade ago."

"It would have been next to impossible to pick up on anything shady going on," Constantine agrees with a frustrated huff as he runs his fingers through his hair. He clearly is itching for a cigarette.

“Are you certain about that?" Michael demands, "You let your former colleague rot in that messed up place you call a prison for years. You didn't check up on him once or even made sure you didn’t lock up an innocent man. How can you be so sure of this?”

An uncomfortable silence follows for a long second before Bruce breaks it.

“This isn't just a case of willful neglect, Michael," Bruce points out. "Barry was clearly not the only one affected by that external influence.”

“You think someone altered the way you handled the whole situation?”

Pieter sounds more concerned than curious considering what that implicates.

"Who the hell did the former Flash piss off?" Constantine wonders aloud as he glances over his shoulder to the entrance of the conference room they are currently in. Zatanna shoots him a curious look.

"Everything alright?" Bruce inquires.

"You guys think we can take a smoke break after we're done with this?"

"Seriously?" Zatanna shoots her colleague an incredulous look which Constantine returns with a shrug. "I haven't had a cigarette in _hours_ ," he points out drily.

"How are you even able to sleep at night?" Zatanna rubs her forehead with a soft sigh. She notices Constantine's smirk and returns it with a frown. "This is serious, John."

"I know." Constantine huffs and sinks back against his chair. "But I think better with some nicotine in my body."

"As a doctor, I would really recommend you to consider quitting from a professional point of view," Pieter throws in, which earns him a glare he pretends not to notice.

"Let's focus on the issue at hand," Diana orders from her spot next to Bruce.

“Someone has already been influencing our perception of the Flash for some time at the point Iris West's was killed." Batman follows along and returns them to the actual issue at hand. "Barry was a founding member of this League. He was well-liked and respected, and apart from Oliver, he hardly ever clashed with anybody." He is quiet for a moment, looking around to face the others thoughtfully. "This changed about eighteen months prior to his conviction. I believe whoever or whatever has put this spell on him is also responsible for the growing resentment he experienced from the people close to him during that time.”

“It would explain how we could treat him like that,” Jay agrees quietly.

They fall silent again as an unpleasant tension settles over the present heroes.

It is Diana who breaks it, much to everybody's surprise. She has hardly said anything so far.

“We will find the one responsible for this," Diana says, voice low and deceptively calm, though the anger underneath it is hard to miss. "They will be held accountable for what they did to him." She presses her lips into a thin, angry line as she seeks out Bruce's eyes. "The consequences of this can never be undone.”

She is right. They all know that.

"Nothing we do will give him back the life we took from him," Diana continues, grief now thick in her voice.

"No," Bruce admits. "But Barry has already started to build a new life for himself. What we can do is help him in that effort."

"Bruce is right." Jay agrees solemnly. "What we can and need to do now is offer Barry the support he needs. We can finally be there for him." He focuses on Diana with a tight smile. "We _will_ find whoever did this, we will make sure that they are brought to justice, but most of all, we have to focus on helping Barry heal from what he had to go through."

“I think," Zatanna speaks up, causing the others to turn their attention back to her, "it would be for the best if John and I get some additional help to neutralize the curse.”

"Considering that we're probably dealing with dozens of people who are affected, that's probably necessary if we wanna get rid of it in a sensible amount of time," Constantine agrees. His expression changes from slightly annoyed to concerned. "I still don't like it that we were able to interfere with it this easily."

"You expected more trouble?" Pieter inquires.

"Of course." Constantine rubs his eyes, chuckling darkly. "Someone went out of their way to ruin Allen's life. They put a lot of time and effort into it. They had clearly some kind of goal in mind. You don't pull off that kind of stuff just for shits and giggles." He leans forward, allowing his lower arms to rest on the table top as he studies his folded hands with furrowed brows. "The power of the curse has started to wane, though. That means, who- or whatever went to all that length, either just got bored with their little pet project or..."

"Or?" Michael probes.

Constantine's frown briefly intensifies before he relaxes and shrugs. "Dunno. Maybe they got killed? Or maybe they're busy with renovating their kitchen? Who knows." He snorts, but the brief spark of amusement quickly subsides as he continues. "What I do know is that we're lucky that the curse grew this weak, in the first place. We should act on it as long as we can."

"There probably won't be a better time to get rid of it than now," Zatanna adds in agreement.

"I agree," Bruce says and gets up, causing the others to do the same. "We shouldn't waste any time. We're lucky we could get this far without interference. Let's continue with the assumption that this won't last."

"I'll try and contact Clark," Diana informs them. "We need to have a League meeting about this as soon as possible."

"Everybody needs to get here anyway," Constantin adds. "We need to take a closer look on _everybody_ who interacted with Barry. Not only his former team colleagues but also whoever dealt with him over the last years and is connected to the hero community."

"You think it's limited to superheroes only?" Jay asks in surprise, but the younger man shakes his head. "Not sure, but we have to start somewhere."

"I think it's best if Michael and I return to Barry, see how he is doing. We still have to continue to investigate the damage the nanites have done to his body," Pieter points out as he follows Bruce to the exit.

Jay decides to join them, and the door closes to a seemingly once again empty room a moment later.

Neither of the heroes picked up on the presence of the small figure that watched them from the corner of the room, invisible to any eye. They take their leave as well.


	2. Life goes on

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life goes on, even if you feel like you're stuck in place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I'm like 3 to 4 months early with this one. But why not? ;)
> 
> This is an exception, though, the next chapter will be up in January (the 5th or the 12th, not entirely sure yet).
> 
> I also thought to give you a little update probably doesn't hurt.
> 
> I'm alive, as you can see, even though I pretty much went MIA for a while. Studies and work just seriously consumed my entire life for a while. But, thanks to that, I'm getting some more money now AND I've nicely progressed with my studies. I finished my bachelor's degree and, hopefully, I'll be able to finish my master's degree at the end of the year as well. I'm nearly 100% sure that I'll start my doctor's degree afterward at the place I'm currently working, but even so I'll have much more time at my hands than I do now... or so me thinks since I won't have to do work 5 days a week and do studies on top of it. Maybe I'm just too optimistic, tho. I really hope not. TT-TT
> 
> Anyway, 2 out of the 3 sections of this chapter have my OCs in them. So for anybody of you who is not a big fan of Eddy, Mary, or James, yeah, sorry about that. But you get some Batman in the beginning, so I hope that will appease you a little. ;)
> 
> Also, before I forget it, your comments. I have not replied to any of the ones you posted after I uploaded the last chapter of Singularity Divergence. Shame on me, but I will get to it in January, or maybe earlier, which is not likely though. I've read all of them, of course, and thank you all so much for leaving them. They are incredibly encouraging, and I do treasure them. So, please, keep them coming. ;P
> 
> And, last but not least, I want to thank one of my two wonderful editors, MeteoraWrites for editing this chapter. She did a fantastic job and if there are any error left they are entirely on me. Thank you so much, my dear, you kick ass! <3
> 
> Also a shoutout to my other editor, Quintessenzza, who started a new job as a teacher! You'll kick butt too, I'm sure (but please not the kids'… maybe their parents' tho, if they are annoying ;).
> 
> This chapter is for both of them! I sincerely treasure having you guys even if I'm making myself rather scarce atm! \\(^^)/
> 
> And before I forget, another shoutout to minny28 and shingun on tumblr! You can thank those two that I posted today! Thank you guys for following me and my story! It is heartening to know that you are waiting for it to continues. :)

* * *

* * *

_It is strange_ , Barry can't help but muse, feeling only slightly bitter. _Everybody seems much more eager to find out who caused all of this trouble than me_.

Absentmindedly, he puts the hand of his arm that isn’t currently resting in a sling onto the cool examination table he is sitting on. The cold is nice, calming, and it helps him to feel a little more grounded.

If he was honest with himself, he knows that would rather prefer them to let it be and just forget that anything ever happened.

Barry makes the mistake to mention this to Bruce, who is sitting next to the examination table. He is busy going over newest line of data he just collected from the nanites inside Barry's body.

Bruce pauses and shoots Barry a look, studying him for a second.

“You know that things don’t work that way,” Bruce pointed out, eventually. His mask is pulled back, making it possible for Barry to read his expression. He doesn’t look angry or annoyed, but it is still uncomfortably intense.

Bruce adjusts his sitting, so he is no longer facing the monitor but Barry. He puts the pen-like measurement device that’s still rested in his hand aside, causing Barry to frown unhappily. They're not done with his left arm, and Barry is pretty sure that he will spend at least another half an hour here before the other man is satisfied. He would rather get done with it now.

The nanites that are still left in Barry’s body, and the ongoing absence of his powers have turned into a headache for Bruce and the others over the last couple of days.

Barry nearly laughed when he realized that his connection to the speed force didn't seem to re-establish itself despite the nanites no longer actively trying to prevent him from doing so. The tired, cynical part of him really wonders why he expected anything else.

_At least I'll be able to leave soon._

It's the morning after his third night at the Watchtower, and today he will finally be allowed to return to Jay’s home. He doesn’t believe that he could ever express how grateful he is for that.

“I-I-I d-d-do-don’t n-n-need th-th-therapy," Barry points out tersely. It comes angrier than he intended. Once more, he has to marvel over how short-tempered he has become during the last two days. It makes him feel more like an insolent child than himself.

“It is not that you don’t need therapy, you don’t _want_ it.” Bruce glances over to him, giving him a knowing and stern look. Barry feels his cheek heat up in response, and he is just glad that Jay hasn’t arrived yet. He knows that both would gang up on him regarding that point.

“Barry, you don’t have to start therapy right away. Nobody is going to force you,” Bruce relents after a moment of tense silence. He obviously doesn't miss how uneasy this topic is for him, and Barry can feel his throat starting to close up at how gentle the other man’s tone has suddenly become.

It is frustrating. _All_ of it.

Frustrating and confusing.

Barry isn’t sure what they are to each other now that Bruce has decided to believe him.

There is this strange wall between them that wasn't there in the past, before everything started to go downhill for him.

It makes it so damn uncomfortable to be in the other man’s presence, and Barry doesn’t know how to deal with it.

They aren't friends anymore. At least, he thinks so.

Can Barry be friends with someone who is partly responsible for what he had to go through?

_That's not fair_ , Barry thinks. He isn't sure whether he means it is not fair towards Bruce or himself.

He never considered how things between him and the people he once considered friends would change should his innocence ever be proven. In all honesty, he never actually thought that this can happen.

Now, he is confronted with people he once was close to, people who were his friends, but knows nothing about anymore. It feels overwhelming whenever he is around one of them, and while he knows he should be thankful that things took this turn, he can't help but feel confused and angry.

Bruce’s voice interrupts the uncomfortable string of thoughts.

“You should still consider it," Bruce suggests. "There is nothing to be ashamed of in seeking out help. I know you know that.”

Barry does. Of course, he does. That doesn’t change anything about the fact that the mere notion of having to open up to another person about those ugly parts of his life scares him much more than anybody seems to realize.

Another tense minute goes by in which Bruce just seems to wait for him to respond. Eventually, Barry mutters that he will think about it.

“B-b-but n-n-not B-B-Black C-C-C-Canary-ry.” The words are past his lips before he realizes what he is saying, and it causes him to blush in embarrassment. His gaze turns up towards the ceiling instead of meeting Bruce's eyes, which he can now feel on him.

It probably sounds mean. It certainly is unfair towards Dinah. She is just as little at fault for what happened to him as he is. They all were tricked, manipulated, but...

Barry can’t see himself talking to Dinah about anything personal. She had been a good friend once, she had been the first and only person he ever thought about confiding in about his past, but everything changed before it could come to that. Now he’s glad he didn’t.

“There are many competent therapists I know who are specialized to treat people in our business. People who you've never met before that won’t judge you.” Bruce is still watching him. Barry can feel his gaze, and it makes his skin itch. “Clark just suggested Dinah because he meant well and didn’t think.”

“I-I k-k-know," Barry agrees quietly, lowering his eyes to his lap. His brows furrow as he remembers how Clark sought him out in the late afternoon after his second interrogation with the lasso of truth took place. It was after Zatanna and Constantine got the assistance of a handful of other occultists to make sure they contained the curse that had been put on him.

Clark was the first one who came to visit him that day, probably directly after he got the okay to do so.

Barry was honestly caught off-guard by this. Clark hadn't been able to join the questioning the day before, since he had been in another dimension at that time, and because of that the man has totally slipped his mind.

Because of that, Barry hasn’t felt ready to deal with him, or really anybody else. Clark had been so honestly devastated and sorry about everything that happened that Barry wasn’t able to ask him to leave and instead ended up feeling bad for him. He listened to his apologies, his promise that they would help him, and just hadn’t known how to respond.

A cynical, angry voice whispered to him that the man wanted absolution, wanted _forgiveness_. The mere thought upset Barry in a way that made it hard to breathe for a moment.

It was a relief when Bruce came to take some more blood samples, and Barry was no longer alone with Clark.

_“We will find who did this, Barry," Clark told him, and urgency in his voice that left Barry feel uneasy. "I promise you that we_ will _bring them to justice.”_

Justice.

They all keep saying it. Bring who- or whatever caused this to justice.

What good will this do, though?

Nobody ever even asks him about how he’s feeling about it.

The thought probably hasn't even crossed their minds once. Why should it? Barry is just a victim to them. He can't do anything about it, but they can. At least, they want to think so.

The bitterness that came with that realization nearly caused him to choke.

Barry hadn’t known how to respond to the intense anger in Clark's eyes, which made the man look so unlike himself. It had unsettled him. Bruce, who seemed to pick up on Barry's uneasy, had pretty much scared Clark off afterward.

“I-it i-i-is n-n-not b-b-be-bec-c-cause o-o-of D-Di-Dinah…” Barry stops, grimacing. His stammer has started to get worse again whenever he gets nervous since his assault at home. The current situation is not helping. It is utterly frustrating for him to try to get a single sentence out, let alone to try to explain his reasoning. He sounds like an idiot.

Bruce watches again with that oddly grim and sad expression Barry has gotten used to over just the last couple of days.

_It's the guilt_ , Barry thinks. There is no real satisfaction he gets from that, though. A part of Barry wants them, all of them, to feel miserable. Let them feel like he felt for the majority of the last decade thanks to them. But that's the petty, childish side of him.

They all are victims in a way.

As if Bruce was reading his mind, he says, "Nobody is going to hold it against you if you are angry." He quickly adds when he notices that Barry is about to object, "I'm not saying you are. I'm just saying you don’t need to worry about it. You don't have to feel bad or guilty if you feel resentment towards us. It's alright to be upset about what was done to you.”

They hold each other’s eyes for a few seconds before Barry looks away and nods quietly.

Bruce goes back to evaluate the data he receives from the measurements, and Barry is rather glad that he doesn’t try to press the topic.

Jay arrives shortly afterward.

***

"You like it?" Mary asks, looking worried even though she tries to hide it.

Barry, who is resting in the guest room of the Garricks home, gives her a smile he hopes looks reassuring and nods. "I-It's d-d-delic-cious."

The cup of hot chocolate resting in his left hand feels warm and comforting. It's just like the presence of his two friends.

"Of course, he likes it." Eddy agrees with a huff. He shoots Mary a playfully admonishing look for daring to doubt her own ability when it comes to making that warm, sweet beverage.

It's so good to have them around, to be back at Jay's place, away from the Watchtower and all the probing and uncomfortable questions.

Barry feels his eyes tear up and averts his gaze, blinking rapidly. The emotion hits him out of nowhere.

"Barry..." Mary sounds troubled. His friends obviously didn’t miss his abrupt change in mood, and he wants to assure them that he is fine.

Fine...

Is he, though?

No.

"Hey, you've got a cup of amazing Romanian hot chocolate there, Bar. There's no reason to be down." Eddy chuckles, though it sounds forced and worried.

"I-I'm s-sor-ry." Barry murmurs, squeezing his eyes shut as he takes a deep breath.

He's okay.

He's okay.

Right now, he's okay.

His friends are with him. They are there to cheer him up and be there for him.

"I-I'm j-j-just..."

Just what?

He's angry. Out of nowhere, he feels _livid_. He grits his teeth hard enough that his jaw joints start to ache and lowers his face, taken aback by the intensity of the feeling.

_It will pass_ , he tells himself, and it does.

Barry has been dealing with his emotions acting up for days now. He's just exhausted. Everything that is going on is just taking its toll on him.

Learning that someone manipulated the people in his life, probably since before he even went to school, is a hard pill to swallow. Knowing that there is someone out there who hates him that much is something he isn't sure how to deal with.

It leaves Barry feeling helpless and scared.

The fact that his powers still haven't returned doesn't help either.

"It's okay." Eddy assures him and meets his apologetic look with a tight but warm smile. "You've had it rough the last couple of weeks. We'd probably be even more worried if you went back to acting like usual. You can be rather creepy like that."

" _Eddy!_ " Mary hisses, shooting their friend sharp look. It causes Eddy to swiftly add, "Though, I'm not in the position to judge since I never had to deal with..." The other man frowns, suddenly looking rather uneasy and lost. He shrugs helplessly. "Ya know..."

"We talked about this..." Mary sighs, putting her face in her hand for a moment. She looks utterly exasperated, and Barry can't help but find the idea of her trying to give Eddy a crash-course of how to be sensible in a situation like this amusing.

Amusing and endearing.

Eddy doesn't mean to hurt him. He just is incredibly apt in putting his own foot into his mouth when it comes to situations that require tactfulness. Barry knows that. He and Eddy have been friends long enough by now that he is aware of how the other man's people skills can be just plain awful at times. Especially if he is in a very emotionally charged situation.

"I-It's f-f-fine." Barry assures them, chuckling softly as he lets himself sink against the pillows that are stashed behind his back to help him sit upright and be comfortable at the same time. He takes a small sip of the hot chocolate Mary just prepared for him in the kitchen downstairs, enjoying the sweet and rich flavor.

Joan is probably excited about having learned a new recipe. Barry wouldn't be surprised if she would end up preparing some of Mary's hot chocolate sometime tomorrow. Both women have taken an immediate liking to each other, which was kind of foreseeable considering how similar they are in many ways.

"You see." Eddy huffs and crosses his arms. "That's why it's so much easier to be around blondie, here." He shoots a playful glare at Mary before nodding to Barry. "He just _gets_ me."

"Yes." Mary allows, exchanging a fond look with Barry before shoving her shoulder lightly against Eddy's. "His tolerance for thoughtless brats is truly remarkable."

"Hey!" Eddy protests, pointing an accusing finger at Marry, who can't keep the amused grin off her lips. "I'm anything but a brat or thoughtless." He turns to Barry, looking for aid. "I'm an amazing friend, Bear, aren't I? Tell this ignorant woman about how lucky both of you are to have an outstandingly smart, dashing, and just outright awesome friend like me."

Barry has to laugh at that, he just can't help it. A slight twinge of discomfort flares up in his shoulder and ribcage, but it’s hardly there, and he tries to ignore it.

"W-W-We're l-lucky-y." Barry agrees, and he means it.

Eddy seems to pick up on it, judging by his briefly surprised expression that is quickly replaced by a much more abashed one.

"We really are." Mary agrees, touching the back of Eddy's hand briefly.

"Okay, okay." Eddy waves them off, looking both pleased and a little at unease. "So, we've established I'm awesome, that's good." He turns back to Barry. "We're here to share my greatness with our favorite bartender and sourpuss over there, though. So let's focus back on him."

"I-I'm n-n-no s-s... s-sourep-p-puss." Barry argues, still smiling. Again, he can't help but think how nice it is to have those two at his side.

If he could only see Len as well-

He pushes that thought away. It's reckless to even consider getting in contact with his partner or any of the other Rogues while he is staying at Jay's home. Reckless and very disrespectful.

"Sure you are." Eddy returns with an easy smirk. "You never let us do anything fun, like trying to cook mac and cheese in a toaster or making an indoor campfire for smores." He grins, then. "You don't even wanna know what Axel says behind your back about you." Eddy shoots a look over his shoulder, towards the door, as if to make sure that nobody is overhearing them. Then, he turns back to Barry and leans closer.

"He calls you a _square._ " Eddy tells him in a fake whisper while drawing the outline of a square with his two pointers.

Barry snorts, rolling his eyes. "O-Oh n-no."

"Oh yes," Eddy assures him with a wide grin, "but don't worry. We still love you."

Barry chuckles and looks over to Mary. "M-Mary, y-y-you h-ha-have p-p-perm-mission t-to h-hit h-him."

"What?!" Eddy gasps, shooting him a betrayed look just as Mary punches his shoulder lightly.

"Hey!" Another voice joins them from the door, causing Barry and his two guests to look over to it. Speaking of the devil. He spots Axel standing there. The boy must have just gotten home from the laboratories.

"How is that fair?" Axel grouses, accusing eyes on Barry. "You have to wait for me when you guys decide to finally gang up on the numb-nuts over there."

"Numb-nuts?" Eddy protests, though the grin on his face makes it difficult to believe that he’s really insulted.

"W-W-We're n-not g-g-gang-ging u-u-up o-on E-E... E-Eddy," Barry denies, chuckling.

"Like hell you aren't." Eddy grumbles, shooting him a fake glare.

"As if you didn't deserve it." Axel points out with a snort and makes his way over to them. He takes a seat next to Barry on the bed, letting the backpack he has still with him slip to the ground with a small _thud_.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Eddy protests. "I'm the nicest guy you'll ever have the fortune to lay your eyes upon, brat."

Axel gives him an unimpressed look. "Ya know what they say about _nice guys_ , right?"

"Are you saying I'm trying to g-" Eddy breaks off, freezing for a second. His eyes seem to involuntarily seek out Barry's before he swiftly averts them again, suddenly looking very uncomfortable.

It's not lost on Barry what his friend just was about to say.

Trying to get into his pants.

It would have only been meant as a joke. Eddy's humor can be a bit raunchy like that. Well, most of Eddy's humor is like that.

Barry gives his friend, who is still avoiding to look at him, a faint smile.

"I-It's f-f-fine." Barry is a little surprised that it really is. In the last couple of days just about anything seemed able to set his emotions off, causing him to feel angry and miserable or just like the weight of the world is bearing down on him most of the time.

Things are different where his friends are involved. Barry trusts them.

"You really have no brain to mouth filter, do you?" Axel asks Eddy with a slight touch of annoyance clinging to the words.

"How was your day at the laboratories, Axel?" Mary asks the teen, trying to change the topic in an attempt to ease the mood once more.

Axel keeps an accusing eye on Eddy for a moment longer but eventually turns to Mary, shrugging. "Same as usual. I did some experiments with anit-Markovnikov additions and Hoffman rearrangements in the lab before studying the rest of the afternoon."

"That sound exciting." Mary points out, looking honestly interested. "Did you work on your own?"

"Sounds dull, if you ask me." Eddy grumbles but keeps quiet when he gets a dark look from both Axel and Mary in response.

"It was pretty cool." Axel allows as he focuses back on Mary. "The experiments turned out well, and I'll probably get the yield I'm supposed to, but-" here he shoots Barry a brief, apologetic look" -studying the theory behind those mechanisms was boring as hell."

"Studying usually is." Eddy remarks, sagely, and frowns when the rest ignores his shared wisdom.

"Y-Y-You n-ne-ed t-to kn-know th-th-the b-b-basics." Barry reminds Axel, knowing just too well that the teen finds the theory behind his work interesting enough. There just seems to exist an ingrained dislike to the idea of studying in general when it comes to him. It's likely no small thanks to the Rogues, who don't recognize the importance of good education for the most part and tend to tease Axel about it whenever he mentions his apprenticeship.

"I know." Axel sighs, sounding more defeated than annoyed, and Barry can't help but smile fondly. The boy is too smart to let his potential go to waste, and Barry is glad they found a way for him to nurture it. Even if he doesn't really appreciate it just yet.

"W-We c-can g-g-go o-over y-your n-n-notes t-t-tog-geth-ther l-lat-ter i-if y-y-you w-w-want," Barry offers and watches amused how Axel immediately perks up at that.

"Hey," Eddy complains, "don't steal his attention away from us already. We’ve just come over."

"Not my problem if he likes me better than you." Axel smirks and easily deflects the punch aimed for his shoulder.

Barry watches them banter with a growing sense of affection and eases back into the pillows some more, feeling surprisingly relaxed.

"Oi," Axel exclaims, turning to Barry as if to say something else but pauses. He glances over to the still open door and gets up to close it before retaking his former spot on the edge of the bed.

"Sam contacted me today at work." Axel tells him with a lowered voice as he studies Barry carefully. "He and the others say _Hi_."

The relaxed mood dissipated within a blink, and Barry feels his body tense up nearly painfully in response.

Sam and the others...

They haven't talked since _that_ night.

Barry has been wondering whether his friends kept an eye on him. He is pretty sure they do, but he hasn't been able to spot Sam or Evan anywhere, so far.

Swallowing tightly, Barry feels at a loss about how to reply.

Worry has joined the desire to see Len and the others soon after his release from the hospital. While he wanted them not to contact him while he stayed with Jay, a part of him still hoped they would do so nonetheless. Just to let him know that things between them were still alright, despite what happened.

They've seen him with the cock of another man forced down his throat...

Barry can't help but wonder whether this changed how they look at him. Whether they now see how pitiful he was.

How dirty and _disgusting_...

He grits his molars and tries to force that thought away.

Despite his best efforts, doubts keep persisting. He wonders whether Sam or Evan saw him at the Watchtower, whether they knew about what was done to him.

What are they thinking of all of it?

By now, his past as the Flash has to be common knowledge among them.

Did that change anything?

Did they think he deserved what happened to him?

_They already knew that I've been the second Flash before the assault_ , Barry tries to reason with himself. _They knew and still accepted me._

But did they?

Maybe they decided to ignore the fact for the time being, but now, after the hero community will be part of Barry's life again, whether he wants them to or not, things will undoubtedly change again.

Barry doesn't want that to happen.

He wants Len...

"Shhh, everything is okay, Bear." Marry assures him and lightly touches his lower arm, helping Barry to ground himself back to the present. He realizes that he has started to tremble, his body nearly taut as a bow.

"I-I-I..." Barry wants to say something, explain himself, explain what is currently distressing him so much, but he can't.

He feels stupid, scared, and unsure whether even he fully understands what is upsetting him to this painful degree.

Len won't just push him away. He _won't_.

But why is he still so scared of that very thing?

"Oh, Barry." Marry gets up and takes a seat on the bed next to him, laying her arms around him and lightly urging him to rest against her. Barry follows without protest and just then realizes that he’s crying.

There is no embarrassment gnawing away at him this time. He just feels tired.

Mary keeps holding him, murmuring reassuring words into his ear he doesn't pick up on. It still helps. Her closeness, her warmth, just her being there, it makes everything a little easier.

Eventually, the desperation lets go of Barry again, and he is left leaning against his friend, exhausted and with a slight headache.

His rips ache as well, worse than they have in a couple of days, which causes a brief flash of anger return which quickly dissipates again, though.

"S-S-Sor-ry," Barry murmurs and reaches up with his good hand to rub his face.

He's miserable company right now, that's for sure.

Shootings his friends an apologetic look, he pushes himself back, so that he is resting fully against the pillows again.

"No need to apologize." Mary assures him, rubbing his upper arm in comfort. "You're hurting, it's okay if you cry."

Barry swallows around the lump in his throat, nodding slightly. She is right, he knows. Crying in front of his friends still makes him feel awful. Especially in front of Axel, who clearly didn't mean to upset him.

The teen is watching him with worried eyes now, gnawing at his lower lip.

"She's right, Bar." Eddy agrees with Marry, meeting his eyes with a tight smile, "You've been through a lot. You're allowed to not take it too well, for once."

They don't know about what happened at the Watchtower, about his innocence having been proven, just yet. Barry just couldn't get himself to tell them. A cynical little voice in his head keeps insisting that he can't trust the aid of the heroes, that they will turn on him again, eventually.

 "I'm sorry," Axel says, voice unusually small. "I didn't mean to upset you. I thought..." He grimaces and shrugs his shoulders, but Barry understands.

Axel thought he would cheer him up with that news, not cause him to break down.

Barry bites down on a tired sigh, frustrated over himself and how everything seems to set him off these days.

"N-No, y-y-you d-d-didn't-"

"I did," Axel cuts him off, angrily, but faulters immediately and shoots him another apologetic look for interrupting him.

"Y-Y-You w-want-ted t-to ch-cheer m-m-me u-up," Barry corrects him, smiling wearily but warmly. "Th-Thank y-y-you."

Frustration crosses the teen's face for a second, but his tensed-up frame relaxes in the end, and he huffs a sigh. "You're way too forgiving, Barry."

"He is." Eddy agrees, punching Axel lightly against his shoulder now that the boy's attention was not on him. "I'd have given you a good thrashing in his stead."

"Because I wouldn't totally kick your ass," Axel sneers, and Barry can't help but think that the boy probably got that from being around Roscoe too much.

"Like hell, as if you could," Eddy scoffs. "I'm way too fast for a little imp like you laying even a finger on me."

"Tell yourself that if it makes you feel better." Axel says loftily, turning dismissingly away from Eddy and back to Barry. It causes the speedster to look both irked and amused at the same time.

"I..." Axel starts but seems indecisive whether he really should go on. He makes his mind up before Barry can encourage him, though, and pulls something out of the pocket of his hoodie.

"They want you to get better soon." Axel continues, studying Barry carefully as if he was trying to gauge whether it was safe to go on or not. "Len was also there. He gave me this for you." He explains and holds his hand out.

Barry can hear himself inhale sharply as he spots the ring in Axel's palm.

The ring he got from Len.

He wore it on the chain that night, but he noticed its absence in the hospital. The staff there informed him that he didn't take any neckless off him when he arrived. He asked Jay about it later, but the man couldn't remember seeing it on him either.

The chain probably broke during the assault, causing the ring to drop onto the ground. Jay offered to look for it, but Barry declines. The idea of the older man alone in his apartment, looking around, didn’t sit well with Barry.

It seems that Len or one of the other noticed it and picked it up.

Barry can't help but wonder whether they went back after he left. It must have been after the police went there to collect evidence. Why would they, though?

Or did Len notice the ring when he came over after the attack?

Does it matter?

Barry briefly shakes his head, dismissing the confusing mess of thoughts and he tries to focus on the small piece of jewelry in Axel's hand.

He takes it, feels the smooth surface under his fingertips and feels like crying all over again, this time due to relief.

"Th-Thank y-you." Barry murmurs, tightly holding on to the ring, giving Axel a grateful smile.

"Sure." Axel sounds relieved, grinning back. "Len was persistent about me giving it to you asap."

It’s nice to hear that. Barry lowers his gaze, looking at the ring in his hand, and once again notices the engraving.

_I won't leave._

It's meant as a reassurance, a promise, Barry is certain of it.

There is a knock at the door, causing Barry to swiftly push the hand with the ring under his blanket.

Jay sticks his head in a moment later, just to make sure that everything is alright. He has been checking up a lot on him since they returned from the Watchtower, but Barry can't find it in himself to be bothered by it.

Barry listens to Jay as he and Mary exchange pleasantries and feels himself relax.

The ring is a comforting presence in his palm, and it’s easy to agree whether he is alright when Jay asks him about it.

Everything seems brighter, suddenly, less scary and hopeless.

The Rogues are still his friends, and he still has Len.

***

"Joan told me about your stay in that private clinic." James remarks. "I hope the new medication is finally doing its job."

Barry, who has listened over the phone to James telling him how his last couple of days in Thailand have been so far, grimaces slightly. He enjoyed the idle chit-chat with his friend so far and can feel his stomach sink in response to those words.

James doesn't know about the Watchtower. Like with Eddy and Mary, Joan made up some cover story about him having stayed in a private clinic close to Kansas.

It doesn't sit well with him to lie to his friends like that. He would have to tell them the truth, at least Eddy and Mary. James still doesn't know about Barry's past as the Flash. He should tell him, he knows, but the time just never seemed right when the other man was over.

“Barry?” The concern in his friend’s voice lets Barry snap out of his thoughts.

"Y-Y-Yes, i-it's w-w-work-king m-m-much b-b-bet-ter." Barry agrees, closing his eyes, wearily.

"That's great," James says with audible relief. "I'm really happy you're finally doing better."

James's voice is warm, soothing, and Barry wishes his friend was here with him so that he could talk to him in person. Having conversations over the phone is always so difficult. It makes his stutter act up even worse, for some reason.

The desire to tell James everything hits him like a slap. The idea of lying to him any longer suddenly seems too tiring. He likely will react to it just as well as Eddy and Mary, he is Barry's friend too, after all. He deserves to know.

Barry should tell him...

Not over the phone, though. Barry needs to see his face when he lets him in on this secret. He needs to make sure...

What, exactly?

That James doesn't think he is a loony? Doesn't betray him?

Probably.

As unfair it is towards James, who has been nothing but an amazing friend and support so far, Barry still has troubles with trusting others when it comes to his past. It was difficult enough with Eddy and Mary, and right now he is just too exhausted to deal with that all over again.

He will tell him, but later.

"Th-thank y-you… I-I…” Barry breaks off, and for a couple of seconds, there is just silence between them. It isn’t uncomfortable per se as Barry knows that James is patiently waiting for him to go on, but it still feels a little awkward, at least to him.

Getting frustrated over his stutter doesn't help. It only causes it to get worse, which in turn makes him feel even more like an idiot. It is a well-known and much-hated catch-22.

"J-J-Jam-mes… I-I… th-th-...” Barry grits his teeth in anger and tries to calm down.

"What is it? Is everything alright?” The earlier concern is back in James' voice since he must be able to sense that something is bothering Barry.

“Y-y-yeah, I-I'm f-f-fine… l-l-look, I-I w-w-want t-t-to t-tell y-y-you s-s-s… s-something b-b-but… I-I th-think i-i-it w-w-will b-be b-b-bet-ter f-f-for d-d-doing s-so w-w-when y-you a-are h-here i-in p-p-person… o-ok-kay?”

“Sure, that’s not a problem, Bar,” James assures him, sounding both relieved but also not.

For another couple of moments, neither of them says anything. It’s a somewhat awkward, uncomfortable silence, for which Barry faults himself. He should have waited to breach that topic until after James is back from his latest business trip. Now his friend is probably going to be worried and neither of them will be able to do something about it.

Barry is just about to apologize when James speaks again.

"A gecko dropped from the ceiling of my hotel room onto me two nights ago, and I kid you not, I tell you that this had probably been the most terrifying experience in my whole life. It landed square on my face.” The deadpan voice with which James tells him that, makes it impossible for Barry not to laugh outright despite him knowing that this isn’t the best idea due to his still upset ribs.

"Y-you d-d-didn’t h-hurt it, d-did you?” Barry can't help but ask, grimacing slightly due to the expected pain.

"No, Bar.” James says drily, but Barry doesn't doubt that he is also smiling. "That little reptile is fine, as far as I know. At least, it had still been after one of my neighbors, an old Lady from the Netherlands, heard my scream and came to my rescue." James heaves a sigh. "It was quite a humbling experience to see a lady in her late sixties catch that little lizard and put it on the wall outside my window. She made it look like it was nothing while I couldn’t bring myself to get any closer than three feet to that thing.”

Barry chuckles softly and tries to console his friend’s bruised ego by reminding him that it isn’t a lizard exterminator and shouldn’t feel too bad about it.

“A-and t-the a-age d-demog-graph-phic o-of p-p-people o-over s-sixty i-is s-s-steadily i-inc-creasing. Th-That m-means t-there w-w-will l-likel-ly a-always b-be a-a n-n-nice g-g-grandm-mother a-around t-to s-save y-you.”

Now it is James turn to laugh which causes Barry to smile in return.

“Well, in this case, it seems I won't have to worry about any possible lizard dilemmas in my future. Thanks to you and the growing number of old folks on this planet I will be able to sleep a little bit easier tonight.”

“Y-you a-are v-v-very w-w-welc-come,” Barry agrees with a fond chuckle.

Their conversation briefly turns to what James did over the last couple of days in Bangkok before they have to end the call. The new pain medication Barry got is really a vast improvement to what the hospital gave him, but it also causes him to grow drowsy, especially this late into the evening.

James understands and promises him they can continue their conversation tomorrow. "I'll also report back on you whether another gecko tries an attempt on my life or my dignity."

They say their goodbye, and Barry decides to end the day on this good note.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, that was chapter 2 of part 2. Hope you guys enjoyed it!
> 
> Not a lot happened, but, oh well, beginnings are usually slow, and things will pick up within the next couple of chapters. Which you'll be able to read in about four months... yeah, don't hate me.
> 
> Anyway, you guys, I was in Stockholm a week ago for the Euromat, a science conference for work, and it was awesome. Stockholm is such a beautiful city, smaller than Vienna but cleaner, and EVERYBODY speaks decent English. That was so convenient! I mean, most people at most places speak English, but it was super easy to talk to the people there. My English is far from perfect, I can certainly survive with it, but it is still always more convenient when you speak to a person who speaks as good or better than you. They will nearly always get what you mean or want. And since my first language is German, I had a blast reading Swedish signs. Many of their words are similar to German if you read them. They sound completely different, but in written form, you get why they mean 6 out of 10 times.
> 
> Are any of your guys from Sweden? Stockholm maybe even? Just so you know, it is fantastic that you have a salad to nearly every dish. And, damn, those PokeBowls! I love them!!! I wish we had them here as well! ;-; BUT: Your coffee sucks! xD At least the filter coffee, the one from CoffeeBean (I think that was the name of the shop) is pretty nice, tho.
> 
> Also, anybody of you a friend of IT? Like, the books and the movies? I watch the new IT part 2, and I like it. A lot. I liked the 1st one already, but somehow it tickled my inner fan-girl this time. I've so many ideas for fanfics but... no time as you can guess. But I started to write small tidbits down. They are more like snapshots from the fics I have in mind than actual stories. I wonder if anybody would be interested in them. I know, I know, I should work on Singularity whenever I have some time to write (or respond to comments *coughcough*), but I have to be in the mood to do so. Writing such little snippets is just more convenient at times. You don't need to worry about plot or context, and it is so relaxing.
> 
> I seriously want to let IT appear in Singularity somewhere. Not give IT a big part or anything, just like a little wink to any of the fans of that fandom. Some horror sections are coming up for Singularity Convergence, after all.
> 
> Coming back to Singularity. I'm currently working at chapter 9, which, yeah, is like not much, but I seriously had not the time to do more. From April until the beginning of August I haven't written at all, which was seriously a weird experience for me. Still, we will start with January again, and I think we will probably be able to keep the bi-monthly schedule from Singularity Divergence for the most part. It depends on work and stuff.
> 
> As you guys know, a huge chunk of the second part is already written but I have to go over it and rework it again anyway because of when I wrote it (my English back then was not the best, and yeah, it isn't the pinnacle of perfection now either, but it did improve a lot!), and sometimes things have changed so much with the story that parts of what is already written just doesn't fit anymore. Like Len's and Barry's relationship. They are closer in the current version of Singularity than they were in the older ones. By that, I mean there is now so much trust between them that they open up to each other to a degree they were not able to do back then. And it feels weird to leave those pieces in. I was mentioning before that I maybe will post those pieces I cut separately, but I'm not sure how much effort I'll put into cleaning them up. I mean, I'll get rid of the worst of gramma errors of course, but... yeah, it would eat up a lot of time to comb through them as I do with the parts I intend to upload. They also often vary in length, like from couple 100 to couple 1000 words. Would you guys still be interested in reading those?
> 
> Well, I think I babbled enough. I was just lovely reaching out to you again, I guess. It's been a while, after all. :)
> 
> I hope the year has treated all of you right, so far, and that it will end on a pleasant note for you!
> 
> Cu in January! <3

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed the little teaser! <3
> 
> The actual first chapter will be posted January of 2019. I plan to post updates about my progress on my Tumblr (http://snatch7777.tumblr.com/), feel free to say hi. :)


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